Business insurance is designed to offer coverage against a range of risks businesses may face. The events which can qualify for coverage under your policy will be outlined in your PDS and by your insurer. There are different types of insurance intended to cover different areas of risk which are available in Adelaide, including the following:
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance can cover your business if a member of the public is injured or their property damaged as a result of your business activity, subject to the terms and qualification criteria set by your insurer. Some insurers will enable you to choose your claim limit of between $5 million, $10 million or $20 million (though you may be able to negotiate a higher claim limit should you need it).
What it covers:
- Third-party personal injury claims
- Third-party property damage claims
- The legal costs of defending yourself
Product liability insurance
Product liability insurance can offer your business protection against claims that a product you supplied, whether manufactured by you or imported and sold, caused harm to a third party or damaged their property. In terms of its claim limits, this may follow the same lines as public liability of between $5 million and $20 million, depending on your business and whether it meets your insurer’s requirements.
What it covers:
- Claims that a product you supplied caused sickness or injury
- Third-party property damage claims
- Legal fees to defend yourself against such claims
Professional indemnity insurance
Professional indemnity insurance can offer cover against claims that the advice you gave or service you provided was negligent, sub-standard or caused loss or harm. The claim limit you may be able to select can start at $250,000 and may go up to $10 million or more, depending on your insurer.
What it covers
- Payment of compensation
- Payment of damages
- Legal defence costs
- Cost of defending yourself during investigations
General business insurance
General business insurance (sometimes called small business insurance) is an insurance package which may offer cover against risks facing your physical business premises and assets, among other areas. Some insurers will enable you to bundle policies such as public liability and professional indemnity into this package, with claim limits determined by the types of cover you purchase.
What it covers
- Fires, storms, water damage
- Explosions and impacts
- Accidental damage
- Theft following forceable entry into a locked building
- Theft of equipment which is securely attached to a vehicle
Some of the additional coverage you can purchase as part of your general business insurance package can include:
- Commercial property insurance (which may offer a higher level of protection for your business premises than offered by a standard business insurance policy)
- Glass breakage (which is a common business insurance exclusion)
- Business interruption (which can cover your bills if you have to close your business whilst recovering from an insured event)
- Business expenses insurance (which can help you continue to pay eligible expenses if an insured event prevents you from returning to work)
- Cyber liability insurance (which can protect you from many forms of cybercrime)
- Tax audit (which can cover your costs if you are subject to an ATO audit)
- Management liability (which can offer cover to business owners and directors against claims of mismanagement)
- Drone insurance (which can offer protection for your commercial drone and its payload)
Accident and sickness insurance
Accident and sickness insurance can cover self-employed individuals who are injured or suffer an illness which prevents them from working and earning a living. This comes in the form of an ongoing benefit worth up to 85% of your salary (subject to your insurer’s qualification criteria), which you may be able to receive for a maximum of either one or two years. You’ll also have to choose a waiting period before your benefits can kick in, which you may be able to select between seven and 28 days.
What it covers
- Loss of income as a result of illness
- Loss of income as a result of an accident
- Optional extras including death and disablement benefits